Across the nation.

Clues To Breast-cancer Depression Found

June 03, 1999|By From Tribune News Services.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS — Women with breast cancer who seek alternative therapies such as herbs or acupuncture in addition to standard treatment might need extra help in coping with their fears about the disease, a study says.

The findings suggest doctors should ask patients whether they are using alternative treatments, and patients who say yes should also be questioned about anxiety and depression, said Drs. Jane Weeks and Harold Burstein, cancer specialists at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

The study is appearing Thursday in The New England Journal of Medicine published here.